This invention relates to attachments of sill cocks to buildings and in particular to a flanged pipe connector positioned on pipes extended outside of buildings under construction for attachment of outside faucets after construction of building is completed.
Typically during construction of houses and other buildings, water pipes to be used outside of the houses or buildings are extended through walls, which usually are near ground level, for attachment of faucets after construction is completed. In present practice, a steel cock or a copper stub is used to attach faucets to outlet pipes during construction. After construction when all outside layers of construction materials have been added and finishing work has been completed, the steel cocks are removed and extensions positioned with soldering methods. This is time-consuming, expensive and fire-hazardous.
A wide variety of connection means for various types of faucets exist in the prior art, but none is designed for ease of use and application during and after construction of buildings in the manner taught by this invention.
For purposes of this invention, terms are defined as follows. A sill cock is a complete faucet of a type used on water pipes extending from inside to outside of buildings at positions usually near sills or bottom sections of buildings. Faucets are referred to frequently as cocks. Hence the term sill cock is used to indicate an outside faucet generally. A spigot is a portion of a faucet or sill cock with which flow through the faucet or sill cock is prevented selectively for regulated control. Tapered threads are self-sealing and known also as pipe threads. Straight threads are referred to frequently in the plumbing trade as pressure threads because sealing requires linear pressure to be applied with uniform-diameter threading against some form of washer or sealing component. A washer tapered on both ends for pressure sealing inward circumferentially with linear pressure of reciprocally tapered circumferential walls is known variously as a nipple washer, a double-tapered washer, pressure washer or a compression ring or compression ferrule.
One example of a different means for connecting known sill cocks to water pipes extending from inside to outside of a building is described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,080,520 granted to Schuermann. Different from this invention, it employed tapered threading adjacent to straight threading linearly on a pipe-connection end of a sill cock. A pipe from inside of a building was threaded to the tapered threads of a sill cock and a collar nut was threaded to the adjacent straight threads on the sill cock. The collar nut was tightened against an outside wall of the building in opposition to an inside connection of the pipe. A coupling flange on a short sleeve with a sealing inside periphery positioned on the outside periphery of a connection end of the sill cock was then slid over the collar nut to a position of contact with the outside wall of the building.
The Schuermann patent is cited as more nearly similar to this invention than any other known device. However, its use of two threading types adjacent linearly, its nonuse of a nipple washer and its cupped form and use of a flange are different. Thus, it is different from this invention in both structure and working relationship of parts.
Other patents found in the prior art are not deemed to be sufficiently similar to the invention. For instance, German Patent No. 1,216,207, dated May 5, 1966, teaches an adjustable exterior faucet system, but also does not use a nipple washer. Other prior patented art relating to sill cock flanges, but bearing no similarity to the present invention, includes Great Britain Patent No. 940,462, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,971,401; 2,210,986; 2,652,224; 4,836,237; 4,316,481; 5,129,416 and 4,182,356.
The use of compression fittings in sill cocks is prior art, but the inclusion of a flange with a nut in a sill cock fitting as provided by this invention for convenience, safety and low cost is novel and non-obvious.